Chapter 72: System's Temporary Hole - 2

Soldier Taron adjusted his posture, his eyes scanning the horizon with the tired gaze of someone who has seen the same landscape for two decades.

The sea of monsters stretched as far as the eye could see, an undulating mass of chitin and fury that never seemed to diminish. The sight, once terrifying, had become a grim constant in his life.

Twenty years. Twenty years looking at that living nightmare, first as a frightened young recruit, then as a hardened veteran. Ten years of mandatory conscription had turned into another ten of voluntary service.

The extra ten mana points per day were a difficult incentive to ignore, even with the increase in attacks in recent months.

Taron suppressed a yawn, the weariness of countless watches weighing heavily on him. The start of the shift was always the hardest. His eyes scanned the barrier once more, searching for any sign of a breach.